Yevhen Khmara
Ukraine's Defence Minister since August 2026; former acting head of the SBU security service.
Yevhen Khmara's Defence Ministry claimed on 4 October 2026 that Ukrainian strikes had disabled 51% of Russian oil refining, a figure he called "a significant blow" and nobody Independent has verified. Drones then hit refineries at Omsk and Ukhta.
Last refreshed: 12 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Khmara's refinery strikes survive Washington's warnings over US intelligence?
Timeline for Yevhen Khmara
Called the refinery damage a significant blow
Russia-Ukraine War 2026: Ukraine strikes Yandex AI data centresRada confirms Khmara as defence minister, 312 to two
Russia-Ukraine War 2026Remained only acting Defence Minister as parliament's recess continued
Russia-Ukraine War 2026: Gunman shoots four Odesa draft officersMentioned in: Zelenskyy swaps out his top general
Russia-Ukraine War 2026Khmara made Ukraine's acting defence minister
Russia-Ukraine War 2026Background
Yevhen Khmara became Ukraine's Minister of Defence on 19 August 2026, when the Verkhovna Rada voted him in after a month as acting minister. He succeeded Mykhailo Fedorov, whom Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed on 15 July.
Khmara came from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). He commanded its Alpha Special Operations Centre, the service's elite special-operations unit, and rose to acting head of the SBU itself. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko was offered the defence post first and declined; Zelenskyy cited Khmara's record in long-range strike operations when he chose him.
His appointment put a special-forces officer, not a politician, at the head of the ministry. He inherits its hardest domestic files, recruitment and brigade formation, at a time when mobilisation has turned violent at the margins: on 2 August a gunman wounded four staff outside an Odesa recruitment centre.
His ministry claims half of refining
Zelenskyy chose Khmara in July partly for his record in long-range strike operations, and the ministry he now runs has made that campaign its headline. On 4 October 2026 it claimed Ukrainian strikes had disabled 51% of Russian refining capacity; the Associated Press could not verify the figure.
The strikes kept coming. Drones hit the Lukoil refinery in Volgograd and an oil-pumping complex in Samara region on 2 October, refineries at Omsk and Ukhta days later, and a Yandex data centre at Sasovo on 8 October. Even Vladimir Putin conceded at Valdai on 1 October that Ukrainian strikes had done partial damage to the Russian economy, the outcome Khmara's ministry is chasing. Washington's warnings over refinery strikes now press on the same programme.
Parliament settled his eligibility
Khmara took over the defence minister's duties on 16 July 2026, the day after Mykhailo Fedorov's dismissal, while still running the SBU. A Cabinet order made him acting minister on 20 July. Several deputies argued that the law barred a serving security officer from the post, the exact profile of a former Alpha commander.
He answered by stating that he had left military service under Article 26 of the military service law and told deputies he stood before them as a civilian. On 19 August the Rada confirmed him by 312 votes to two, with no abstentions, ending a month of contested status.
Who is Yevhen Khmara?
Is Yevhen Khmara Ukraine's confirmed Defence Minister?
Why was Yevhen Khmara chosen to run Ukraine's Defence Ministry?
When did Yevhen Khmara take over Ukraine's Defence Ministry?
How many defence ministers has Ukraine had since 2023?
What did Yevhen Khmara say about Ukraine's refinery strikes?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 12 October 2026. Editorial standards.